A Tale Of A Tonks
by bleedingrose777
Summary: A promise. That's all it takes little Tonks for commit for life to something she at the time did not understand. Enter her world of magic and war as she grows up trying to full fill her final promise to James Potter.
1. Prologue

Prologue: Birth.

All that was heard in the almost silent hospital room of Saint Mungos was the almost whispered cries of Andromeda Tonks' new baby girl. Theodor held his new child proudly as he stared into her ever changing hazel eyes while his beautiful wife slept quietly by his side.

Nymphadora, the new baby, was already quickly changing her appearance. The child would be/was, a metamorphmagos, the first in her family line. The doctors said that it was because of her mother's frequent use of transfiguration magic during her pregnancy. At the moment little Nymphie had brown eyes and bright purple hair that was absolutely adorable on the new born child. Her parents loved her unconditionally, and would always love their baby girl.


	2. Parting Wishes

7 years and 5 months Later.

April 1980.

Little Nymphie ran through the fields behind the house to her Uncle Sirius, his best friend James and her favorite person in the world, James wife, Lily. Nymphie laughed when she reached them and her uncle picked her up spun her around then tossed her into the air. When he set her down she was slightly dizzy but did not care because of how happy she felt around them at that moment. Nymphadora glanced over at Lily and noticed that she was different. She was rounder in the middle and she had a faint glow around her that could only be from happiness. She radiated joy.

"Mrs. Lily, are you gonna have a baby?" The young girl asked curiously. Lily Potter smiled down at the child her green eyes wide.

"Yes Dora I am." Nymphie looked at Sirius for confirmation on this anomaly and he nodded in agreement with the women's words. Nymphadora Tonks laughed and began jumping up and down her hair changing swiftly from one color to the next in a heartbeat before settling on a striking bubble gum pink.

"My mommy is gonna have a baby soon too! Is it a boy or a girl? What's his name gonna be? Are you gonna keep him?" Nymphies excitement was beginning to overwhelm the pregnant Lily. James crouched down to meet her level placing his hands on either shoulder to steady her.

"Nymphie honey calm down. Of course were going to keep him. That's a silly question. It's a boy, we just found out before we came here. His name will be Harry, Harry James Potter after me." The girl had calmed down by this point and was staring into the man's eyes. She realized that he looked very worried and like he wasn't getting enough sleep. Sirius sunk down to their level as well.

"Give you love to James and Lily Nymphie, it's going to be a while before you see them again. "This comment puzzled the girl but she refrained from asking questions. She had learned long ago not to question her uncle Sirius. Nymphadora Tonks did as she was told hugging James as tightly as she could and attempting to wrap her arms around Lily. The women laughed at the girls attempt to be gentle with her. .

"Its okay Dora, you won't hurt me." Nymphadora sniffled as she held tight to the elder women. She did not want to let go. "Don't cry sweetie." She told her in a comforting, melodic voice patting her hair down. "We're leaving to be safe." At the last comment the girl knew what was going on.

"It's that bad man isn't it? V-V-Voldemort," she gulped his name down, "He's c-c-coming after you i-isnt he?" She stuttered through the rest of the thought the forming tears making it hard for her to speak. Lily held the child tighter hoping to comfort her as best she could a reassure the girl that all would be okay.

"Dora baby don't cry. We'll be okay, Please don't cry." Nymphie looked up at the caring women and tried to blink away the tears in her eyes, "I want you to know something okay?" Dora nodded. "You are a beautiful little girl okay? And you will grow to be beautiful young women. Don't do bad things, and always remember that no matter what, we, James and I, we love you." Lily started to cry as well and James took Dora from her arms so that his wife could compose herself.

"Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks, Listen to me okay? Dry your eyes and listen really close I have a job for you okay honey? "James said gently. The girl reached up and wiped away the last traces of tears from her e

"Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks, Listen to me okay? Dry your eyes and listen really close I have a job for you okay honey? "James said gently. The girl reached up and wiped away the last traces of tears from her eyes. "I need to you make me a promise that you must always keep okay?" Nymphie nodded. "No I need more than that. I need a yes sir!" Nymphie smiled.

She put her hand to her brow, "Yes sir. I promise, now and forever."

"Good. Now I need you to swear to me that no matter what happens to me, you must always protect Harry. Okay? I know you're young now. And I know that right now nothing is going to happen to me and Lily, but we have to go hide now. So just in case something happens I want to know that I have someone to look after my boy. Can you do that?" Nymphadora was young but she understood that task she was receiving from this man and could feel in her heart it would be difficult. But she would do it.

She gave final hugs to James, Lily, and Sirius but did not say a word as they walked away; she didn't feel the need too. When they got a fairly good distance away and she could feel they were about to disapperate she shouted as loud as she could, "I love you guys! And I promise-"the loud popping noise of the disapperating spell interrupted her screams. And like that they were gone. Immediately she began to think about what she would say to them the next time she saw the,. But what the little girl didn't know as she walked home was that she wasn't going to see them again. Not for a very long time.


	3. The Cold Truth

1 year and 7 months later.

November 1, 1980.

A younger girl with bright purple hair sat at the breakfast table with her little sister. The baby was a year and three months old and was beginning to drive her big sister crazy with her constant metamorphing to match the elder sister exactly. But Nymphadora loved Nixie unconditionally no matter what. Her mind was not on the child sitting in the high chair beside her though, it was wondering away to thoughts of the last encounter she had with James, Lily, and her Uncle Sirius. The child was beginning to wonder when exactly she was going to see them again and get to meet baby Harry. She was in the midst of this recollection when her mother came into the room holding a slip of paper and crying very intensely. This sight confused the young girl and she immediately went to her mother's side.

"What is it mummy?" She asked her in a worried tone, trying to position herself around her mother so she could get a good look at the letter in her hand. As soon as the child reached the proper angle her father called her into the adjourning room.

"Nymphadora, leave your mother with Nixie and come here for a moment please. I need to tell you something." Dora felt her stomach drop. It had been a year, a year and seven months; her almost nine year old mind could see where this was going. She stepped hesitantly into the room. Her father's tone, she could tell, was solemn; the girl knew something was terribly wrong.

"Dad, what's wrong? What haven't you told me? Something happened. What is it? Tell me!" The more questions she asked the more frantic she got and now she was scared to death. Why wasn't he talking? Theodor nodded silently and motioned for his eldest daughter to come sit beside him. She did as she was instructed. Once beside him her father took her small hands into his and stared into her eyes.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" She nodded her silent approval and urged him to go on with her large eyes her hair darkening the longer she waited. "Nymphadora, do you remember when Mr. James Potter, Uncle Sirius and Mrs. Lily where here last? And they told you that it would be a while before you saw them again?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Well, I don't really know how to tell you this…" He trailed off avoiding the young girls gaze.

"Did he f-find them?"

"Who Dora?"

"V-Voldemort. They said h-he was l-looking for them. Th-t-that they had to hide. Bu-Bu-but Mrs. Lily said it w-would be okay…" The girl had begun to sob as she explained this to her father. Nymphadora gasped as a huge pain exploded around her heart."Mrs. Lily was gonna have a b-b-baby like mommy. His name was g-gonna be h-harry. Harry j-j-James... is he alive? Daddy what happened? How did it happen? Is Harry okay?" Nymphie began to panic as she realized why James had made her promise to keep the child safe, he knew, somehow that this was going to be their fate. But what of the baby? He couldn't have killed him. Not a child just barely older then her own littler sister.

"Nymphadora honey calm down. Harry, by some miracle, escaped with nothing but a scar. It just happened last night. Please calm down baby. It's okay. Breathe." Sobs racked her body as her father held her close and patted her hair. Suddenly a new thought stuck her.

"Daddy, where's Uncle Sirius? Is he d-dead, too?"

"No, but he is running. He is the one who told the Dark Lord, they believe, of James and Lily's whereabouts. It seems that he truly was a Black family member." Nymphadora could not believe her father's words but she could not deny them either, not logically with the tears flowing from her so freely, she leapt out of his arms at that moment and ran quickly up the stairs to her room, slamming the door and locking it. Once inside she threw herself onto her bed and cried. The young girl cried until she fell asleep thinking of nothing but her finally promise to James Potter.


	4. Hogwarts School

2 years and 9 months later.

August 1, 1984.

A little girl with mouse brown hair and sad eyes sat alone on the train at platform nine and three quarters anxiously awaiting her trip to the famous Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry in which she had been invited to attend just three days previous. Her mother and father had been overjoyed at her acceptance and took her shopping in Diagon Alley immediately after receiving the notice. They even let her buy a kitten in hopes that it would lift the child's spirits because very little had been able to make her happy in the almost three years since James and Lily's unfortunate encounter with that dark lord. He was gone now, but her Uncle Sirius was still on the run only writing her occasionally signing each and every one of his letters as, Mooney. Nymphadora did not understand the meaning behind this signature but never once questioned her uncle about it. She has decided that it would be something to ask him in person. She glanced out the window onto the busy platform and smiled as she finally saw someone she recognized. The child was the spilling image of her mother, with her pitch black curly hair always sitting in some strange way shape or form and her pale skin, her eyes where as dark blue as the night sky and her smile always looked slightly deranged. However there was a distinct difference in Lacey Druella Lestrange that brought her apart from her mother, her glasses and her kind hearted nature.

Lacey was Nymphadora's only true friend and the only person Dora new that was able to make her smile and laugh in that last two and a half years. No one understood why or how the girls were so close considering their mothers hated each other so passionately, but they were very close indeed no matter how different they were. Lacey had a very quiet nature and was typically very shy but not really around Nymphie, Andromeda would say Nymphadora brought out the pizzazz in Lacey. Whatever that meant, another large difference in the girl and her parents was that where they were all broad and tough in their mind, Lacey was innocent and small using her intelligence to get her out of any situation. Also Lacey was adopted. She knew who her mother was and wrote to her occasionally but she was not living with her parents seeing as they were both in Azkaban. She was living with Sirius' brother Regulus Black.

"Can I sit here?" Nymphadora Tonks looked up from her reverie to see a rather dorky looking boy standing in the doorway. She smiled up and his fiery red hair and freckles laughing as she scooted over closer to the window.

"Of course I don't bite." For reasons unknown to Dora she smiled wide and transformed her teeth into sharp canines giggling, "Hard."

"How did you do that?" He asked staring at her in awe.

"I can do all sorts of cool stuff like that. I'm a metamorphmagus."

"Wicked." He said grinning. She felt her hair brighten up a tad and knew that she was going to love Hogwarts. A smallish voice peeped up from the doorframe breaking the eye contact that she and the little boy had formed.

"Nymphie?" The voice said.

"I'm gonna go by Tonks now Lace, Dora and Nymphie are dumb." Lacey nodded a little confused and took the window seat opposite of the girl.

"Who's this?" Lacey gestured towards the red haired boy.

"Oh," the boy leaned forward putting out his hand to introduce himself to the girl, "I'm Charlie miss, Charlie Weasley. Well actually it's Charles but I go by Charlie or Chuck most days." Lacey put out her hand and shook the newcomers hand lightly a little scared by his excitement. Tonks laughed at her cousin's hesitancy. "And you are?"

"Lacey, Lacey Lestrange." She whispered.

"And I'm Nymphadora Tonks! At your service!" She stood and bowed dramatically her hair turning bright purple in her excitement. Charlie laughed as Lacey retreated inwardly on herself.

Charlie Weasley laughed, "Nice to meet you." Charlie sat back down as did Tonks and the three children sat in silence staring at each other waiting for one, or the other, to start a new conversation. It was Lacey that eventually spoke up.

"Tonks, my mummy wrote me a letter. She told me if I got put in any house but Slytherine that she wouldn't love me anymore. That shed kick me out. But I don't want to go to Slytherine, all the bad people are there. "Tonks was surprised by her cousin's sudden outburst.

"It's okay Lace, don't worry about it. My daddy said that the sorting hat is very friendly." Tonks tried to comfort her friend.

"I'm gonna get put in Gryffindor I know it!" Charlie said proudly, Tonks shot him a wicked glare,

"Why do you say that?" Lacey asked the boy in a quiet voice.

"Because my entire family has ever since my great great great great grandparents! Were a huge family of Gryffindors!"

"It's alright Lacey. Besides you're so brainy I bet you get Ravenclaw! As for me, I have no idea!" Tonks told her cousin laughing it over.

"Yeah who knows where we'll all end up? I hope we stay friends though. Nymphie- I mean Tonks- will you always be my cousin and best friend no matter what?" Lacey asked. She was obviously very worried about the girls' disposition to her housing placement. Charlie sat still awkwardly beside Tonks looking anywhere but Lacey's direction, "What about you Charlie? If you're a Gryffindor and I'm a Slytherine will you still talk to me?" Lacey was trying to include the obviously uncomfortable boy into their conversation.

"Of course! What a silly question!" Chuck grinned widely at the girls. He looked like such a dork but to Lacey he was a very cute dork. A slightly older boy came down the corridor just a bit later and peeked into their compartment. Tonks looked up from the novel she was reading on Werewolves and noticed that the boy greatly resembled Charlie Weasley. "Hey Bill!" Charlie stood beaming hugging the older boy. The new boy, Bill, ruffled Charlie's hair and looked around the compartment.

"I see you're making friends' brother. That's good. You three best be getting your robes on, we'll be at Hogwarts soon." When the boy finished his statement he walked out and went back down the corridor the way he came.

"That's my older brother William. We call him Bill though. He's in Gryffindor!"

"I caught that." Tonks said sarcastically setting her book down in her seat and exiting the compartment with her bundle of robes. Lacey got up and followed her out of the room. Charlie took the moment to stay behind and watch their stuff. He would change when they got back.

After a few moments of waiting the two girls came back, both of whom were smiling and laughing as if they had exchanged some kind of practical joke while changed. Charlie raised a questioning brow but Tonks ignored his question and sat down placing her book into her traveling back. Lacey sat down and did the same with her copy of A History of Magic. Charlie took this as an invitation to go change and left the girls unperturbed.

"You so think he's cute!" Tonks teased her little cousin as soon as Charlie left the compartment.

"Hush! He might hear you! And yes just a little bit!" Lacey squealed giggling. She loved Tonks so much but hated how the girl teased her about everything.

Tonks cracked her knuckles smiling mischievously," time for me to work my-" she started to explain her plot to push Charlie and Lacey together when she saw the towering castle silhouetted against the setting sky. "Oh My- Lacey look." Lacey turned to look out the window and both girls sat awestruck staring at the towering monument across the dark lake. It had tall spires and black and grey stone, with a huge wrought iron gate surrounding it and stairs leading every which way. It looked like a medieval castle. "Is that our school?"

"Yeah!" Both girls screamed at Charlie's voice. Neither one had realized that he had returned. "Isn't it beautiful?" the girls nodded as the train came to a screeching stop and every child exited in an attempted orderly fashion. Lacey grasped Tonks hand so she would not lose her only friend in this madness. The three friends stepped off the train eyes wide at the massive trees around them and the boats floating in the water with candles levitating around them. The sight was mesmerizing. An abnormally large ban with a huge curly black beard and an umbrella ushered that children onto boats.

Using no oars at all the boats began to move as the younger children floated across the dark lake towards the towering school. Then the realization hit her, Nymphadora Tonks was going to Hogwarts.


	5. It Begins

The boats moves slowly across the water. Tonks was awe stuck at the gentle way they glided across the water. It was as if they were floating, however she knew they weren't because every once in a while a wave would pass and water would lap up the side of the boat and mist them all lightly. Tonks felt a light tap on her shoulder as the water splashed up to her. She turned around to see who it was and it appeared to be a quite sea sick looking Lacey. Tonks smiled and switched her friend spots so the queasy girl would be away from the edge of the boat. Charlie smiled and put his arm lightly on Lacey's leg. Tonks giggled at the sight of Lacey's blushing cheeks and had to look away before all out laughter consumed her.

They grew closer to the towering monument and Tonks gaped up at the castle. It didn't seem real that she was here about to set foot into one of the most treasured locations by so many in her family. She felt like the sorting would decide her fate in her family. Because, being a Black it was expected of her to be in Slytherine, but she had no interest in being in that wicked house. She had to hide her fear from Lacey because the petite girl would not be able to contain her own fear. Tonks would have to be strong enough for both of them. The took a deep breath as the big hairy man docked the boats and helped each student onto the land individually. This was the day she was waiting for. Tonks beamed at all of the students coming to shore and let her hair blaze. It switched between red as fire and bubble gum pink. Just like she liked it.

"Um... Tonks-" Charlie pointed in the direction of the young girls hair. She smiled at him in response and nodded.

"I know Chuck. Its supposed to do that." The little girl cackled mischievously and walked away through the throttle of students. Lacey jumped up and down quickly trying to re-located her now lost cousin.

Charlie put a hand on her shoulder to calm her. He smiled and slide his hand down her arm grasping her hand lightly. She blushed but didn't let go. He smiled at her. "I wont lose you." She nodded in silent agreement and followed him through the grown in pursuit of Tonks.

Tonks pushed through the crowd until she was at the front of the group walking next to the hairy man. After getting a better look at him she recognized him from pictures that her mother and father had kept around the house. "Mr. Hagrid sir?" She asked him. The burly man looked down on the small girl. Tonks was not very small for her age but compared to this giant man she was quite little.

"Are you talking to me?" The man seemed surprised at the child knowing who he was.

"That is your name right?"

"Why yes, how did you know?"

"My mother and father know you. Andromeda is my mommy." She smiled up at him. He chuckled.

"Oh yes i know your mother well. And yer father too" He nodded and laughed to himself. Tonks decided that that would be the end of the conversation and turned her attention to the looming citadel that they grew closer too. She walked very carefully up the steps to the front doors of the building. She led all the other children in front of the man, Hagrid. Being the leader did not bother her.

"Tonks!" She heard her name shouted out of the crowd as she crossed the threshold into the enormous building. It was Charlie Weasely followed closely by Lacey. Tonks thought it might be a trick of the light but it appeared that the two children where holding hands. She smiled and then continued to follow Hagrid after waiting for her friends to catch up/. Once inside they where ushered up a small staircase which led to another set of huge doors. At the top they were greeted by an older looking women. She had light skin and a long gown on. She looked very wizardly Tonks thought. The women had brown hair pinned back in a neat bun and a piece of parchment in her hands.

"Hello children," her voice is older and more mature but still kind, "i am Professor Magonagall. You will grow to know me and, if you are in Gryffindor, i will be the head of your house. Please learn the rules of Hogwarts quickly so that you are not in trouble often. Nonsense is not welcome in all areas at all times although we do wish for you to express yourselves." The entire group nodded silently. "In a few moments you will pass through these doors and be sorted into your houses. While at Hogwarts your house will be like your family. Succeed and you will earn points, break the rules, and you will lose points."

The women then walked through the grand doors ushering for the children to follow. No one moved so Tonks stepped forward and took the lead taking the children into the hall to deicde their fates for maybe the rest of their lives.


End file.
